Are we any closer to obesity gene therapy? Maybe a little

Two new studies published in Nature Genetics http://www.nature.com/ng/index.html move us closer to identifying gene variants that increase risk of obesity. 18 previously undescribed regions included and confirmation of 14 other regions associated with BMI (Obesity is a BMI of 30 or greater). Unfortunately this doesn’t predict obesity any better than a good family health history. It isn’t the genes that are causing the current epidemic of obesity but how we are adapting to our current environment (fast food 24/7 and much less physical activity).

Carolyn Katzin

Certified Nutrition Specialist with more than twenty-five years of experience. Carolyn's graduate degree is in Nutritional Sciences from UCLA's School of Public Health. She continues her nutritional science education with certificate courses in nutrigenomics from University of California Davis and NuGO and annual attendance at the Future of Genomic Medicine presented by Scripp's Translational Science Institute and J.Craig Venter Institute.
Integrative Oncology Specialist at UCLA Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology.